Modern mattresses are made from various combinations of materials including: synthetic and natural fabrics, feathers, foam, plastics, wood, and arrangements of metal springs. The disposal and recycling of mattresses is a complicated process that involves both separating the various mattress materials from each other and also preparing each of the resulting materials in a bundle that meets the specific acceptance requirements of the various recyclers. For example, the metal springs of mattresses form an interconnected array of metal that occupies a relatively large area at a low density. Metal foundries, however, accept metal in relatively small volume, high-density units, for example one cubic foot units or blocks of approximately 60 to 100 pounds. Efficient systems and methods for compacting resilient springs to such densities have thus far not been developed in the field. Accordingly, there exists a need to efficiently process low-density mattress springs into high-density units accepted by typical foundries.